Fangs and Talons! And Diapers
by My-name-is-foxglove
Summary: "Shhhh." Astrid's voice was dry and raspy, almost a whisper in the dead of the night. It seemed no match for her son's wailing. She paced in front of the crackling fire as she rocked him, hushing and cooing. From the corner of the room, Toothless's head moved left and right with her pacing.


**Fangs and Talons! And Diapers.**

* * *

"Shhhh." Astrid's voice was dry and raspy, almost a whisper in the dead of the night. It seemed no match for her son's wailing. She paced in front of the crackling fire as she rocked him, hushing and cooing.

From the corner of the room, Toothless's head moved left and right with her pacing. His eyes never left the baby. Somewhere outside, Stormfly let out a squawk in her sleep.

Toothless twitched, and Astrid let out a tired snort of amusement. He'd been on high alert since Hiccup passed out.

Chief by day, and daddy by night; Astrid hadn't been surprised when Hiccup stumbled through the doorway that evening, garbling out a triumphant 'home ahsbjds' before collapsing into a snoring bundle on the floor. She'd taken off his armor, dragged him into bed and fondly brushed his hair out of his face. He deserved a break from baby-duty.

Come to think of it, his father's collapse was about when the Haddock heir had decided enough was enough and started wailing in complaint at his neglect.

"It's alright." Astrid now said, half to her son, half to the dragon. "I doubt anyone will be brave enough to raid this cottage and face your wrath."

Toothless gave her a look that said he wasn't taking any chances. Astrid snorted again. And her son, as if sensing all attention wasn't on him, let out his most piercing wail yet.

Hiccup's head jerked up at the sound.

"Whash wrong?" He managed, opening one bleary eye. She was touched that he managed to stay conscious, sleep deprived as he was.

"Nothing." Astrid said, bouncing the baby. He seemed to have gone quiet at the sound of his father's voice. Typical. Drive mommy mad and then behave the moment daddy's got his eye on you. "He's just cranky. Go back to sleep."

Hiccup kept an eye on them for a moment longer before he half nodded and mumbled something, burrowing his head into the covers. He was adorable when he did that.

Astrid looked down at her suddenly well behaved son. "Huh." She said. "So you just wanted to hear your dad's voice, was that it?" He looked up at her and, as if in apology for all the fuss, smiled back. Big and gummy. Eyes crinkling.

Supporting his little head, feeling the warmth and softness of him, Astrid felt like her heart had turned into something soft and brittle and bursting at the seams. A part of her wondered if the feeling would ever go away.

Another part of her wondered how, at two months, her son could be just as emotionally exploitative as her husband.

"Sly little guy, aren't you?" She murmured, grinning at him as she met his eyes. They were grey now, but the healer said that could change, within the first summer. He might end up Hiccup's green ones.

It didn't really matter. She'd love him if his eyes were purple._  
_

"Your dad's like that too." She continued in a murmur. "You both know one little smile can get you away with murder. Don't get used to it." She warned, even as her mouth curved. "A few years and I'll be immune."

Her son gurgled up at her. Astrid thought he knew she was lying.

Next to her, she heard Toothless let out a burble of pleasure. Peace at last.

Astrid looked up at him. "Toothless, come here."

Toothless looked a little alarmed at the prospect. He'd been introduced to the Haddock heir before, but at the time the baby was newborn. Red, squirmy and screaming his head off. Astrid held back a smile at the memory.

"Come on." She said. "Come and see the little terror."

Toothless gave her a look that said 'well, if you insist' and approached slowly and cautiously, as if even the tiniest clink of one misplaced talon could disturb the baby. There really was no need. The 'little terror' was desperate for something exciting to happen. He'd had enough of his mother's face, and was craning his head around to see as much of the world as possible.

It was amazing, how wide the baby's eyes went when he spotted the dragon. Astrid crouched down and held him at Toothless's eye level. Her baby boy looked absolutely gobsmacked. Toothless himself looked halfway between awed and terrified.

Hiccup's son finally let out a high pitched squeal she'd never heard before. He gurgled and smiled, wide and gummy and delighted.

If Astrid could see past dark talons and leathery hide, she might have seen a dragon's heart melt.

As it was, she could only see Toothless giving the widest, gummiest grin she'd ever seen him make. Her son's little arms reached out for him, and the dragon obligingly pushed his nose against tiny, grasping starfish hands.

Her cheeks hurt from grinning, but she just couldn't stop. It was ridiculous, how besotted the two were. Her son had grabbed hold of Toothless' nostril and the dragon didn't seem to care. They still hadn't taken their eyes off each other, gurgling and burbling in a language all their own.

Astrid glanced at the bed. She felt a little guilty Hiccup was missing out on the moment. To wake or not to wake...

"...frashl..fangs and...talgons...di...diapers..."

She decided she'd tell him in the morning.


End file.
